8 YA books to watch out for in April 2017

Maybe you don’t want to cull through our giant lists of weekly releases and just want to know the best things to snag this month. So here’s a list of 8 April YA books to watch for!

Defy the Stars (Defy the Stars #1) by Claudia Gray
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: April 4th
Noemi Vidal is a teen soldier from the planet Genesis, once a colony of Earth that’s now at war for its independence. The humans of Genesis have fought Earth’s robotic “mech” armies for decades with no end in sight. After a surprise attack, Noemi finds herself stranded in space on an abandoned ship where she meets Abel, the most sophisticated mech prototype ever made. One who should be her enemy. But Abel’s programming forces him to obey Noemi, which means he has to help her save Genesis–even though her plan to win the war will kill him.

Gem & Dixie by Sara Zarr
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: April 4th
Gem has never known an adult she can truly rely on, but the one constant in her life has been Dixie. Gem grew up taking care of her sister when no one else could. Even as Gem and Dixie have grown apart, they’ve always had each other. When their dad returns for the first time in years, Gem finds herself with an unexpected opportunity: three days with Dixie, on their own in Seattle and beyond. But this short trip soon becomes something more, as Gem discovers that to save herself, she may have to sever the one bond she’s tried so hard to keep.

The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
Release date: April 6th
Fifteen-year-old Grace is funny and plain-spoken. Just because she has Asperger’s doesn’t mean she’s great at maths (she’s not) or can draw the Eiffel Tower from memory (she can’t). Like any teenager, Grace just wants to fit in, so when it turns out that the cutest boy in school likes her, she finds herself falling in with the cool crowd. But with her dad away and her mum distracted there’s no one at home to see Grace’s younger sister spiralling out of control, and suddenly everything threatens to fall apart – unless Grace can fix things on her own.

Straight Outta Crongton (South Crongton Trilogy #3) by Alex Wheatle
Publisher: Atom
Release date: April 6th
Life’s a constant hustle for Mo. Her mum’s boyfriend Lloyd is just another man who likes to beat down women; the South Crong streets are fraught with hazards and nasty G’s; and when it comes to matters of the heart . . . she’s still hung up on Sam. No wonder she’s vexed so much of the time. Thank god her sistrens, Elaine and Naomi, are on her side: if one of them falls then they all fall. But when badness goes down and a life is left hanging in the balance, Mo has to face her hot urge for revenge . . . and she might end up losing more than she wins.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: April 11th
Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. Her twin sister, Cassie, is a lovesick mess, but Molly’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker, Reid. He’s a chubby Tolkien superfan, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

The Edge of the Abyss (The Abyss Surrounds Us #2) by Emily Skrutskie
Publisher: Flux
Release date: April 18th
Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she’d been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it’s not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It’s being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart. But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers Boa is not the only a monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm.

Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOZYa Anthology by Danielle Binks
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: April 24th
Bestsellers. Award-winners. Superstars. This anthology has them all. With brilliantly entertaining short stories from beloved young adult authors Amie Kaufman, Melissa Keil, Will Kostakis, Ellie Marney, Jaclyn Moriarty, Michael Pryor, Alice Pung, Gabrielle Tozer, Lili Wilkinson and Danielle Binks, this all-new collection will show the world exactly how much there is to love about Aussie YA.

North of Happy by Adi Alsaid
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: April 25th
Carlos Portillo has always led a privileged and sheltered life. When his older brother, Felix, is tragically killed, Carlos begins hearing his brother’s voice, giving him advice and pushing him to rebel against his father’s plan for him. Worrying about his mental health, but knowing the voice is right, Carlos runs away to the US and manages to secure a job with his favorite celebrity chef. As he works to improve his skills in the kitchen and pursue his dream, he begins to fall for his boss’s daughter–a fact that could end his career before it begins.

About Author

Lucy is an English teacher-in-training and a self-confessed book nerd. She often buys more books than she can reasonably afford or possibly have time to read. Her Hogwarts letter is now several years too late, but she’s sure it’s just gotten lost in the post.

About

YA Interrobang is your source for all things YA literature. We launched in August 2013 to connect readers to the books and authors they love, and to keep them updated on the issues and news that affect it.